New Jersey man blows drone out of the sky, gets arrested

While collecting video of a construction project while flying over his friend’s property in Lower Township, New Jersey, last Friday, a man’s drone fell from the sky.

According to NJ.com, upon closer inspection, the device was found to have been riddled with holes. Just before the drone crashed, a series of what sounded like gunshots was reported. This led to calls to the Lower Township Police who responded and, after investigation, arrested one Russell J. Percenti, 32, the next-door neighbor. Authorities took not only Percenti into custody but also a shotgun allegedly used to down the drone.

The New Jersey incident is the latest in a series of events in which people have taken the law into their own hands when confronted by unwanted drone activity. This has led to anti-drone detection and denial networks, towns declaring open season on drones, and even tongue-in-cheek ammunition loads optimized for counter-drone warfare. Earlier this year, Illinois passed legislation that prohibits anyone from using drones to harass hunters.

Anti-hunting group PETA meanwhile has promised to step up its Air Angel program, in which they encourage members to purchase hobby drones to perform surveillance for illegal hunting activity.